I'll Always be There
by Yorick's.Last.Jest
Summary: It's the last day before Winter Break and Ryan has a surprise for a certain piano-playing brunette. Everyone loves a little fluff... Ryelsi!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction, let alone my first HSM story. Reviews are always welcome! Enjoy._

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any of HSM. The song isn't mine either.**

--

Ryan had never felt anything close to the way he felt now. Not when he and Sharpay had gotten the lead in the school play their first year in New Mexico, not when Ms. Darbus had asked him to choreograph this year's Spring Musicale, not even when he had bought his first hat. He'd been happy and excited those times, heck seeing that green-banded, white fedora had made him ecstatic. But this was so much more. This time... well, he was in love.

And she didn't even know.

Ryan and Kelsi had been friends forever; ever since they had found themselves sitting at the same table with that kid who ate glue, in second grade. They had been there for each other through good times and bad and yet, when high school started they seemed to distance themselves. He had first realized his affection at the end of last year's winter production of _Twinkle Town._ He saw the way her face lit up when the final strains of Breaking Free ended and the audience cheered. And she had every right to be so thrilled; the show had been amazing, the music extraordinary. He had listened to her sing in the music room every morning for a week after that, wondering who, or what her inspiration was for her songs. He remembered sitting at the piano after she left, wishing he could be the man who inspired such heartfelt lyrics.

Now, over a year later, he found himself in the exact same position yet with stronger feelings. They had become so much closer over this past year and so here he was, waiting for Kelsi to finish with Darbus so he could give her a ride home.

Kelsi...

God, he loved her smile. He loved how her brows furrowed when she was deep in thought. Sitting at the piano, he pushed his emotions through his body, capturing all of his feelings as transforming it into music.

_You and I  
Have written the __book__  
Line by line  
And the few things that took to survive  
Was your loving heart and mine  
Should you go  
Remember these words  
As they show  
Just how much I care  
Don't you know  
I'll always be there_

"Ryan?" Kelsi appeared in the doorway beaming at him. "I thought I heard your voice. That was amazing! Did you write it?" As close as they were, she was still amazed at how much passion he could throw into a song if he wanted to. In a way, it intimidated her but if she were to be completely honest, she was in awe. Sure, she could do that when writing music, but singing? That was something completely different.

"That? I know it's nothing like your pieces but hey – I'm a choreographer, not a composer." He loved how her cheeks flushed at compliments. He loved how she got so excited about music...

"Yea? Well Mr. Choreographer, we should be getting home. Ugh, we still have that Chem assignment to work on too! And because of that stunt you pulled by bringing me onstage, I'm making sure my mom gives you mushrooms and extra brussel sprouts instead of that Stew you love, oh so much. By the way, Troy was telling me this joke about Darbus and brussel sprouts earlier today..." He gave a laugh as she rambled about nothing in particular and kissed the top of her head.

That, that right there. That was why he loved her. And yet he couldn't help but fear that she would never know.

--

"Hang on Gabi, I just want to stop in here for a sec"

Kelsi ran inside and immediately plopped herself behind a piano in the giant music store. Shaking her head and laughing, Gabi followed her inside. Kelsi had started playing _It's my life_ and Gabi couldn't help but sing along. They were belting out the chorus, oblivious to the looks they were getting, when Gabi felt her phone vibrating in her purse. She quickly pulled it out and Kelsi switched songs to her own personal favourite.

"Hello?" She was a little out of breath, and walked down an aisle to talk above the strains of _Layla _coming from the piano.

"Hey Gabs... I need some advice"

"Ryan! Uh, I'm kind of tied up at the moment..."

"Are you listening to _Layla_? I didn't know you were a Clapton fan. The melody of this song is... god, and the lyrics..."

"Yea, it's a pretty good song" Gabriella laughed as Ryan hummed along with the music.

"Pretty good? Ouch Gabi, this has to be one of my favourites."

"It is? Ryan... I have to go. I'll give you a call later for sure though."

Gabriella walked down the aisle, grabbing a book of beginner piano songs for her cousin on the way back to the piano.

"Kelsi?"

"Hmm?" She was clearly lost in the music as she hit the final notes and looked up at Gabi.

"How long have you liked Ryan?"

--

Ryan flipped his phone closed as he wandered aimlessly around the mall. It was weird, he knew, but this was where he got most of his thinking done. Well, besides East high's auditorium. It probably had something to do with all the times Sharpay had dragged him here to help her choose the perfect outfit. He was lost in thought when he noticed it – the same music he had heard over Gabi's phone was coming from the music store ahead. A few moments after he heard the final notes played, he spotted Gabi walking out with an embarrassed Kelsi.

And suddenly he knew exactly what he had to do.

He drove home, not even realizing the song he was singing under his breath. He couldn't wait for school tomorrow.

_..Like a fool, I fell in love with you. You turned my whole world upside down..._

--

"Hey, Playmaker. I need a favour."

"Troy? Uh... okay, what is it?"

"Do you think I could borrow your very talented fingers tomorrow? It's the last day of school before break and... Well, I wanted to do something special for Gabi."

"Yea, of course I'll help. Didn't you already get her that necklace though? I mean, I helped you pick it out. Plus, Chad was ranting about how you sang to her in the hall the other day."

"Well... yea. But I really want to make this Christmas special for her. I mean, who knows what'll happen next year – Wait... why was Chad complaining?" Troy asked suddenly. Kelsi knew how hard college would be Troy. She especially knew he didn't like talking about it.

"You know Chad. He thought you outshone him. He started bouncing ideas off of me to surprise Taylor. You know, your competitions really spoil Gabi and Taylor."

"It's all him! If he didn't try to outdo me, then I wouldn't have to keep outdoing him!" Kelsi laughed, assuring him she would help.

"Alright, so can you meet me in the auditorium at 3:30?"

"Tomorrow, 3:30. Will do Wildcat. See you there."

--

Kelsi arrived at school, as usual, before many of the teachers. She shook the snow off of her hat and threw her coat in her locker. This was how it was; part of her routine. Her piano at home was old and it was impossible to tell whether the pedals would work or not. Coming to school allowed her to practice her music on a proper piano. Granted, it wasn't as nice as the one she played at Lava Springs, but she doubted she could ever afford one like that. She sighed contently as she remembered how easily her fingers had danced over its keys, and froze as she opened the door to the music room.

On top of the weathered black piano was a single burgundy rose. Kelsi blinked once, and walked over to get a better look. She wouldn't have thought the flower was for her, had it not been sitting on a sheet of music. One of her compositions, actually. She frowned as she picked up the music and flipped through the pages, noticing that one part of the song was highlighted. She sat down and quietly began to play, singing along softly as she took the lyrics in.

_No mountain's too high and no ocean too wide,  
Cause together or not, our dance won't stop.  
Let it rain, let it pour.  
What we have is worth fighting for.  
You know I believe that we were meant to be._

She was confused; after all, she'd only shown her new pieces to Ms. Darbus five days ago. And aside from Troy and her parents she hadn't shown anyone else this piece. She relaxed as she figured it out. Troy. This must be his surprise for Gabi; he would sing this for her. It was, after all, written for the two of them. She felt a pang of disappointment at the realization. Ryan hadn't given her this rose. It hadn't been him to find her music and use it to express his love for her. And okay, she hadn't really expected it to be, but a girl can dream.

After making numerous mistakes due to lack of concentration, and frustrating herself beyond belief, she decided to get her books and head to class. Maybe she'd be able to calm herself down enough to play well later. The hallways were starting to fill with students and, when she reached her locker, she found two more roses tied to a note. The two roses were different; one orange and one a pale pink. After resting the flowers on the top shelf of her locker, she unrolled the paper and found another one of her compositions. Searching through it again, she found another highlighted verse on the third page, when the sheets got pulled from her grip.

"Through every up, through every down; you know I'll always be around. Through everything you can count on me" Ryan sang perfectly as he read the indicated verse. "That's great Kels! Did you write it?"

"Yea," Kelsi mumbled. "But I didn't highlight it. How did you know the melody? I haven't shown this to anyone yet..." She knew her cheeks were still pink from his compliment. She kicked herself silently for being so easy to read as Ryan gave that adorable smile that made her knees weak.

"Years of piano lessons actually came in useful. I can find a melody every now and then." His eyes roamed to the flowers in the locker and smiled slightly as Kelsi's cheeks flushed again.

"EVANS!" Ryan spun to see Troy calling and gave a small nod.

"Well m'lady, I've been beckoned. I'll see you in... 23 minutes" He smiled again and kissed her forehead before running after Troy. Kelsi grabbed the locker door; partially to close it, partially because she wasn't confident that her knees wouldn't collapse beneath her. Why couldn't it be Ryan sending her these flowers?

--


	2. Chapter 2

--

By the time she made it to homeroom the majority of the class was already there, joking around with each other, waiting for Ms. Darbus to arrive.

"There you are! What's up with the flowers?" Gabi and Taylor had made a beeline straight for her and were staring at her with excited expressions.

"What?... H-How did you find out?..."

"They're sitting on your desk." Taylor said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. They exchanged looks as they realized what Kelsi had said.

"Kelsi..." she started slowly "How many flowers _are_ there?" Kelsi rushed past her to her own desk and grabbed the piece of music lying under the flowers on her desk. Just like the others, it was her own music.

"Then something changes my world. The most beautiful girl, right in front of my eyes?" Kelsi shut the music quickly and jumped as she realized Gabi was reading over her shoulder. Taylor on the other hand, was examining the flowers on the table with a thoughtful expression.

"You know Kelsi, my Mom took a course on flower arrangements and learnt about the different meanings. She said that white stood for purity, or innocence. And lavender was... enchantment, I think"

"Tay? How many more meanings do you know?" Kelsi asked with a small smile. Taylor squealed as Kelsi placed the roses in her bag, alongside the music.

"You did get more! Bring them at lunch and we'll figure it out." She smiled at Ryan, who had been listening to the conversation and he gave her a thumbs up. He turned to Gabriella, who nodded fervently and smiled back. As Kelsi rose her head and Ms. Darbus walked in he turned to the front with a smile playing on his lips.

--

"Any more roses from your secret admirer?" A familiar voice asked. Kelsi cursed silently. Ryan was the last person she wanted to know about the flowers she was getting. She kept walking, trying to hide her flushed face. God, she was so embarrassed

"No, not since homeroom, which is fine by me. This is bringing way to much attention to me."

"Well, it isn't everyday at East High that a guy does something romantic to win over his composer." He paused, realizing what he said. Hoping she didn't notice, he continued slowly. He would have to pay more attention to his words. "True, it's more common now that Troy and Chad have to outshine each other when it comes to their girls, but when it's someone other than those two, people get intrigued."

"Which is absolutely fine. But I'm not made for the spotlight like you or Sharpay or Jason, or just about anyone else in this school. I'm behind the scenes. I'm-"

"Kels, you were more made for the spotlight than anyone I know. Including Sharpay." He said softly. "You just don't see what I see. Besides, you're really going to use Jason as an example? Have you seen him dance?" He grinned as she laughed.

"He has his moments. However rare they may be."

"I'll take your word for it. Gabi and Taylor are waiting for you in the Caf though and I'm sure they'll be angry if I hold you up any longer. Have a good lunch, Kels" He tipped his Newsboy cap and headed down the hall in the opposite direction. He grimaced as he replayed their conversation in his head. She could have realized at any minute. He knew his cheeks must be red; god, he was so embarrassed. He would have to be careful now.

--

"YOU'RE KIDDING."

"Pink! That stands for gentleness. And this one is..."

"Look, there's music attached again, too."

"Open it! Is it your music?"

"Yea, it's mine." Kelsi threw the music down in defeat after checking. "I don't know who it is. I don't know how he got my music. I mean, I've shown it to Ms. Darbus. That's it! Besides, what if someone had read it before I got it?"

"Kels, you're an amazing composer. And him using your music to show you how much he cares? It's romantic. " Gabi soothed her friend. As much as Kelsi had grown, she was still the same she composer inside. She was still breaking out of her shell.

"Ohmigosh guys! Falling in love!" The two girls just stared at their friend.

"Taylor...What?..."

"The rose," She said as if it were obvious. "The yellow represents friendship, but the red tip is for love. The transition between the two shows _falling in love" _Gabi quickly grabbed the sheet music from the table and read the highlighted verse

"_You're on my mind, you're in my heart; it doesn't matter where we are. We'll be alright, even if we're miles apart."_

"You're so lucky! I wish Chad would do something like this. Then again, he'd probably give me a basketball or something and find that romantic. But didn't you say you had other flowers?" Kelsi nodded and placed them carefully on the table. Gabi picked up the pink one and delicately twirled it between her fingers.

"They're beautiful. Troy never brings me flowers" She pouted jokingly.

"You're right Gabs, he just showers you with gifts and serenades you in the hall. What on _Earth_ is he thinking?" Kelsi laughed

"Okay, well the pale Pink could be Admiration, Joy, or Grace. The Orange is for Enthusiasm -"

"Probably for your music. We've seen how you get lost in the melody" Gabi teased as Taylor shot her an evil glance. "Sorry Tay, continue"

"And the Burgundy is Unconscious Beauty."

"Maybe they don't mean anything. Besides Taylor who do you know that knows the significance of each rose? Whoever got them probably just liked the colours" Taylor shook her head.

"I think it's too much of a coincidence that all of the meanings are positive. And that all of the meanings fit you perfectly. He definitely thought this through"

"How many is that? Burgundy, Pink, Pale Pink, Orange, Yellow, Lavender, White... 7? I wonder how many he's going for..." Gabriella wondered out loud. Kelsi sighed as she let her mind wander. Though she was sitting right next to them, the girls' voices were distant as she lost herself in her thoughts. She knew who she _wanted_ the flowers to be from, but there was no way it could be him. After all, Ryan hadn't been in the cafeteria all lunch period.

--

Her last two classes flew by as she weakly attempted to keep her mind on schoolwork. She was curious; she hadn't gotten any flowers since the ones at lunch but this person, this mystery guy would have to show himself at some point, right? Who gave flowers and didn't reveal themselves? And today was the last day before Christmas break so he was running out of time. As the final bell rang she assured Troy she would meet him in the auditorium to help his surprise, and made her way to her locker. After biding her time, and wasting 15 minutes at her locker, she was sure no one was coming and made her way to the auditorium.

The lights were dim when she arrived, the only bright light coming from the piano. She was a little bit early so she eagerly made her way to the stage to get some practice time in. She was a few feet away when she finally noticed the piano she was walking to. It wasn't the normal black piano the school used for productions, no; this one was a white baby grand piano. The same kind she had played as Lava Springs. It even had the small scratch on the pedal that she had made when she tried to play in heels.

She became aware of four roses lying across the keys of the piano, along with a Newsboy cap. Examining the hat, she pulled another one of her compositions out from underneath and flipped through the pages, and then again. There were no highlights on this piece. Puzzled, she sat down and began to play, singing softly.

_Can You imagine?  
What would happen?  
If we could have any dream  
Id wish this moment  
Was ours to own it  
And that it would never leave_

She stopped singing as she heard someone join her. She knew that perfect tenor voice anywhere.

_Then I would thank that star  
That made our wish come true  
oh yeah  
Cause he knows that  
Where you are is where  
I should be too_

She didn't know what happened, but she couldn't help it. Her fingers just... froze as she saw a hatless Ryan walk from the side of the stage, singing _her_ lyrics. Completely overwhelmed, she just stared at him. Mentally, she was kicking herself for not saying anything; she must look like an idiot. Ryan gave a small smile and sat down at the end of the stage, beside the piano.

"R-Ryan... What are you doing here... and... hat?" He only smiled at her flustered question and hopped down from the stage. Straddling the piano bench beside her, he placed another red rose in her hands. Kelsi just looked at him, stunned.

"How did you...?" Ryan chuckled softly.

"Kels, we've had the whole Wildcat team cheering for us. And their girlfriends...And Ms. Darbus" He added with a knowing smile. "I showed up at her house over the weekend and explained everything. They were all excited to help." Kelsi's face flushed and she looked away.

"So everyone knew... Ms. Darbus gave you my music?"

"Yea... you aren't mad are you?" Kelsi shook her head but refused to make eye contact. "It's amazing work, Kels. I don't know why you won't show anyone."

"And Troy didn't need my help, did he?" Ryan shook his head

"Your hat!" Ryan just blinked at her sudden outburst. She reached for the hat and plopped it on his head. "It's your favourite hat. I knew I recognized it." Ryan just shook his head again.

"No, Kelsi. I want you to have it. I know you love it too."

"Ryan, I-"

"Kels, you've always been there for me. Through success, through bad times... even when I haven't deserved your company. When Sharpay stole your song over the summer... it killed me to see you so upset. I yelled at her all night and didn't speak to her for days. Do you know how hard that is when you live with the person? And I managed it easily." He gave a small smile as he brushed her cheek softly. "You've changed me Kels. You let me be myself with you. You saw me as _me_, not Sharpay's twin brother. And that's let me grow into my own person. I'm only myself because of you. You've always been there for me, Kels. Now it's my turn. I need you to know I'll always be there. No matter what."

And that's when it happened. Kelsi wasn't sure how, exactly, it had happened, all she knew was that one second he was staring into her eyes with an intensity she hadn't seen before, and the next his lips were pressing softly against hers. It wasn't a rough, hungry kiss by any means; it was sweet and gentle, yet full of passion. It was Earth-shattering. And in the distance she heard cheers and catcalls and the sound of clapping. He pulled away and she saw the entire Wildcat team, and their girlfriends, at the back of the auditorium grinning broadly.

"It's about time Evans!" Chad called out

"Shut up Puffball" Ryan yelled back, never taking his gaze from Kelsi. He pulled Kelsi toward him with both of his arms around her waist. Softly, he sang to her, his breath warm against her ear and Kelsi couldn't help but notice how perfect the song was.

"_I'm looking at you and my heart loves the view. Cause you mean everything..."_


End file.
